Breaking Down the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival's Queer Offerings

South by Southwest (SXSW) returns this month as thousands of moviegoers, performers, film and television executives, journalists, and fans all descend onto the city of Austin, Texas. Internationally recognized and taking place from March 10 to the 18, the Film & TV Festival is shaping up to be an experience most attendees will never forget. Blockbuster titles like "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" and Lee Cronin's "Evil Dead Rise" will get the full red carpet treatment with stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Regé-Jean Page expected to appear.

SXSW had its first in-person festival in 2022 after taking two years off and going virtual due to the global pandemic. Last year's highlights included "Everything Everywhere All at Once," which had its world premiere at the festival and is now on its way to a great night at the Academy Awards. This time around, audiences should expect to witness greatness once again with the rollout of sure-to-be hit projects like "Tetris" starring Taron Egerton, "Joy Ride" with Stephanie Hsu, "Flamin' Hot" directed by Eva Longoria, and "American Born Chinese" starring Michelle Yeoh.

Outside of mainstream debuts, SXSW's Film & TV Festival will have a slate of queer offerings. Those in attendance will get the chance to screen some of the outstanding movies before they are released later this year from acclaimed directors worldwide. Documentaries, visionary projects, narrative features, and international flicks are just a few genres viewers should expect this time around.

Below are some queer films (and one television series) to look out for at the SXSW Film & TV Festival this year.

"Bottoms"

"Bottoms," a film directed by Emma Seligman and written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott, depicts the story of two unpopular high school senior girls who initiate a fight club in an attempt to impress and hook up with cheerleaders. Produced by Elizabeth Banks, "Bottoms" sets a goal for the queer students to engage in sexual activity before graduation. The movie stars an ensemble cast including Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Dagmara Dominiczyk, and Punkie Johnson.

"Problemista"

Written and directed by Julio Torres, "Problemista" is a headliner of SXSW 2023. The film centers around Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, who struggles to bring his unique ideas to fruition in New York City. With his work visa time ticking away, he becomes desperate to remain in the country and fulfill his aspirations. His last hope is a job working for a temperamental outcast in the art world, portrayed by Tilda Swinton. "Problemista" takes viewers on a surreal adventure through the perilous domains of New York City and the United States immigration system.

"Queendom"

In the competition for best Documentary Feature is "Queendom," the story of a 21-year-old queer artist Gena who hails from a small town in Russia and expresses herself through otherworldly costumes crafted from junk and tape. She takes to the streets of Moscow to protest against the government. Having grown up in Magadan, a cold holdout of the Soviet gulag, Gena is familiar with harsh living conditions. She stages radical public performances, which serve as both art and activism, aimed at changing people's perceptions of beauty and queerness and drawing attention to the harassment faced by the LGBTQ+ community. While the performances are often dark, eccentric, suggestive, and queer, they genuinely reflect Gena's subconscious. However, there is a price to pay for these artistic expressions.

"Who I Am Not"

The North American premiere of the documentary "Who I Am Not" raises the question of whether gender identification matters. It explores the story of Sharon-Rose Khumalo, a South African beauty queen who faces an identity crisis upon discovering she is intersex. With a need for someone who understands her situation, Dimakatso Sebidi, a male-presenting intersex activist who is her polar opposite, is the only person willing to help her. The two parallel but contrasting stories offer a close-up view of the challenges faced when living in a world that strictly categorizes individuals as either male or female, especially for those born intersex. "Who I Am Not" provides a platform for the intersex community, a population that has long been overlooked and largely unheard, representing approximately 2% of the world's population.

"Little Richard: I Am Everything"

"Little Richard: I Am Everything" is a documentary that sheds light on the Black queer roots of rock n' roll, disrupting the whitewashed American pop music canon by spotlighting the innovator and originator, Richard Penniman. The film utilizes a rich archive of performances and delves into the artist's complex inner world to unfold the icon's life story, complete with twists and contradictions. With interviews featuring family, musicians, and contemporary Black and queer scholars, the documentary illuminates how Richard created a form of artistic expression that allowed for ultimate self-discovery, despite never achieving it himself. "Little Richard: I Am Everything" initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year by displaying complexities surrounding sex, music, and religion.

"I Used To Be Funny"

"I Used To Be Funny," the debut feature by writer and director Ally Pankiw, is a dark dramedy that tracks the journey of Sam Cowell (another performance at SXSW by Rachel Sennott), an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair grappling with PTSD. The film follows Sam as she contemplates whether or not to participate in the search for Brooke (played by Olga Petsa), a missing teenager whom she used to care for. The story demonstrates how Sam struggles to overcome her trauma and return to the stage. Still, flashbacks of Brooke make it increasingly difficult to disregard the sudden disappearance of the ill-behaved teen.

"Bloody Hell"

"Bloody Hell" is a poignant coming-of-age narrative that traces the journey of 16-year-old Lindy, who receives an unexpected diagnosis of MRKH syndrome, a reproductive condition. The diagnosis disrupts her plans to engage in sexual activity, challenges her assumptions about femininity and sexuality, complicates her relationship with her mother, and, most importantly, forces her to reassess her identity. Written and directed by Molly McGlynn and featuring an ensemble cast including Maddie Ziegler, Emily Hampshire, Djouliet Amara, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Ki Griffin, "Bloody Hell" is a semi-autobiographical film that examines the difficulties of growing up with a unique health condition.

"Cora Bora"

"Cora Bora" features Megan Stalter, known for her role in "Hacks," as the titular character who believes her open relationship is falling apart. She returns to Portland in an attempt to reconcile with her girlfriend, but she discovers that more issues must be resolved than just her love life. The cast includes Jojo T. Gibbs, Manny Jacinto, Ayden Mayeri, Thomas Mann, Chrissie Fit, Andre Hyland, Chelsea Peretti, comedian Margaret Cho, and former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Darrell Hammond.

"Down Low"

"Down Low," directed by out helmer Rightor Doyle of "Bonding" fame, is a raucous comedy that revolves around one night of mayhem, a man who's deeply in denial, the twink who helps him find pleasure, and the many lives they disrupt in the process. The film stars queer actors Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage, along with Simon Rex, Sebastian Arroyo, Christopher Reed Brown, Audra McDonald, and Judith Light, from a screenplay written by Gage and Phoebe Fisher.

"National Anthem"

Charlie Plummer takes the lead role in "National Anthem" as Dylan, a man who lives a monotonous life in rural New Mexico. In order to support his younger brother and alcoholic mother, he works odd construction jobs. Dylan's life takes an unexpected turn when he accepts a job offer from the House of Splendor, a homestead established by a community of queer rodeo performers and ranchers. As he becomes engrossed in the free-spirited world of barrel racer Sky (Eve Lindley), Dylan discovers himself amidst the captivating Southwest. Directed by Luke Gilford, in his feature film debut, "National Anthem" showcases the extraordinary culture of Queer Rodeo in America.

"Slip"

Created by SXSW favorite Zoe Lister-Jones, the new television series "Slip" stars Lister-Jones as Mae, an art museum employee living with Elijah (Whitmer Thomas) for the past 13 years. Though they still love each other, there is little romance between them, and they have reached a stalemate over Elijah's desire for a child and Mae's apprehension. When Mae makes a mistake and has a one-night stand with someone else, she wakes up the next day in a panic, only to discover that she has somehow slipped into parallel universes and is now embarking on new relationships with other people.